Upper Lauterbrunnen Valley

The weather is good, so we head for a place called Trachsellauenen. The bus takes us to Stechelberg at the end of the valley, and from there it’s about an hour’s climb. If you want to climb the Jungfrau, this is one of the places where you can start. There are a few memorials at the start of the climb to those who weren’t fortunate enough to make it back.

Trachsellauenen is surrounded by a series of peaks, most of which have glaciers on the northern slope. The net result of this in summer is that there is an awful lot of water here.


We stopped for coffee at a tiny hotel by the river.

There are lots of makeshift bridges along the paths. Some are more precarious than others.

And here’s the view that we’ve come to see. The Breithorn, with its glacier, and below it the Schmadribach waterfall.

After a few hours of fairly tough hiking we walked back down to Stechelberg where the bus was waiting to take us back to Lauterbrunnen.

Happy birthday

We had some nice weather yesterday, so it was time for a run in the valley.

In the evening we were invited to a birthday party in Rocks. Here’s Mary, 30 today, blowing out the candles with her mum.

Afterwards we had dinner at the Caprice, followed by cocktails in the Tanne bar. Today’s weather is wet again unfortunately, but a quiet day at home will be nice enough.

Cold

A few of us went for a curry last night, and this was followed by the traditional visit to the Tanne bar for B52s. Our host Ronald got a nice photo. With us are Lesley, Linda and Lawrence.

I was woken by heavy rain hammering on the roof this morning, and it’s been a pretty miserable day. As I type this the temperature is dropping sharply, and SRF (the Swiss equivalent of the BBC) have said in their forecast that there could be snow up at Scheidegg by morning. In July!

Food and drink

Yesterday was nice and bright, but there was a chilly breeze in Wengen. We popped down to Interlaken where it was sure to be warmer. We start with beers on the terrace at Brasserie 17.

A short walk away is the Mexican restaurant ‘El Azteca’. The only problem with this place is choosing from the huge menu – everything sounds delicious. We shared a mixed plate of starters and a main of prawns in a fiery sauce.

Back in Wengen, it’s cocktail hour in the Tanne bar.

A nice evening out.

Walk to Alpiglen

We were up early for our walk this morning, as the weather forecast is threatening thunderstorms for later on this afternoon. Our walk begins up at Männlichen.

We walk across the area where we ski in winter. In this stream, the iron in the water has turned the rocks red. This is common in this area, and leads to cleaning challenges at home.

We pick our way across a huge rockfall that has come down from the summit of a mountain called Tschuggen.

After the rockfall, the Eiger hoves into view. It’s getting cloudy – looks like the weather forecast might be right.

Eventually we approach our destination which is the hamlet of Alpiglen. Alpiglen is where the climbers used to camp before their attempt on the Eiger. Here’s the view they had looking up the north face.

We caught the train at Alpiglen down towards Grindelwald. 5 minutes after we jumped aboard, the heavens opened and the thunderstorm was upon us.

Mürren

It’s another stifling day, so we popped over to Mürren where it might be a little cooler. Eiger and Mönch, and the Eiger glacier.

Looking south, Silberhorn and Mittaghorn.

A big new cable car system is being built. Materials are transported up the mountain on a huge temporary lift. You can see the operator in the bottom left of the picture.

Thunderstorms are forecast for later in the afternoon, so fingers crossed I get to cook dinner on the barbecue without getting wet.

Lauterbrunnen

I went for a run this morning, and Val had a wander around Lauterbrunnen. In winter Lauterbrunnen’s location deep in the valley makes it a cold, dark place. In summer however, it comes alive. A few pictures.

There’s been a lot of work going on in the village, and the improvements are certainly worthwhile. It was a hot day – too hot for running really, but we found some shade and enjoyed lunch from the bakery.